Libya is proving to be a critical test of whether the Arab Spring is going to deliver something that can be described as really revolutionary.  Of all the uprisings that have taken place in the Arab world, Libya most closely meets the definition of revolution. This is not because it has been violent; revolutions do not always have to be violent. What matters is whether they fundamentally change the existing system.

 
While people look on anxiously in Egypt and Tunisia and some worry they may have  thrown out authoritarian leaders only to see autocratic systems continue, in Libya they appear to be in the process of kicking over the whole system that Muammar Gaddafi put in place.
 
There is criticism of the slightly chaotic feel to events but there is also talk of change within the Transitional leadership to make sure that the widest range of people who fought and argued for change will be included. Moves to establish a new constitution and hold elections as quickly as possible suggest that the determination to deliver real change is undimmed.
 
An extraordinary desire for change has swept across many countries in the Arab world. Which will be the first to deliver on the promise of a truly inclusive and tolerant form of government that is responsive to its people, while producing economic growth and social justice? Several hold out the promise; Libya – with all its resources - may have an opportunity to deliver this before other countries where uprisings first started. 

Jerry Timmins, Managing Director GMT Media Ltd